BUDAPEST (REUTERS) - Hungary's food safety authority NEBIH ordered the slaughter of 101,000 chickens on Thursday (Jan 14) because of a bird flu outbreak, it said on its website.

The slaughter of the birds was ordered at a single egg-producing farm in central Hungary, with a 10km observation buffer zone set around the farm and international partners informed of the decision, the authority said.

A series of bird flu outbreaks have been reported on farms in Germany, France, Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe in recent weeks, with wild birds suspected to be spreading the disease.